THE Energy Chamber is pleased that CARICOM leaders are considering the full free movement of persons within the organisation member states.
The Chamber issued a media release on Friday stating that it was an area that has been long advocated for by the Chamber.
The release stated, “We believe that this will lead to a stronger skilled labour force among CARICOM countries that will ultimately bolster and strengthen the capabilities of the private sector in the region.
“Taking a regional approach to developing a skilled labour force is the most prudent approach. The move will also certainly aid in development and would allow the deployment of skilled labour to projects and countries where the demand resides.
“This means that there can be greater opportunities for indigenous companies and CARICOM nationals to execute work within the region and reduce the reliance on human capital from countries outside of the Caribbean.”
The Chamber said it looked forward to working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that it materializes in the shortest timeframe possible.
On Wednesday, at a press conference, CARICOM Chair, Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, made the announcement.
The decision was made at the 45th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Port of Spain.
Skerrit said, “We have taken the decision to seek to have the free movement of all categories of people to live and work. Obviously, there are some legal issues that we have to examine, and we have given the legal people some months to examine those legal issues and to ensure that they could come to us by the 30th of March to take a definitive position on this. We understand that there are some challenges for some, but we are committed to this.”
He added, “We believe that this is a fundamental part of the integration architecture, and at 50, we could not leave Trinidad and Tobago and not speak about the core of the regional integration movement, that is, people’s ability to move freely within the Caribbean Community. I think we would have served and we have served the Community well at this meeting by arriving at that decision and we hope to see that it is implemented by the 30th of March 2024.”
